Lavender, Rubies, and Gold
by DivineDebris
Summary: Every time I read the title I want to say "Oh my!" at the end because of The Wizard of Oz. This is the 5th Fred/Lavender romance fic ever written on FF, but hopefully you'll enjoy it! Written for Round 3 of The Quidditch League FanFiction Competition - Rare Pairs. Post HBP, slightly AU. Rated T for mentions of nakedness . . .


_A/N: Takes place shortly after The Half-blood Prince, but it's slightly AU in that evil hasn't become quite so rampant yet... So probably Dumbledore didn't die, and Voldemort hasn't taken over Hogwarts... that kind of thing. It's a more lighthearted setting in rose-colored... no no, ruby-colored glasses. ;) Enjoy!_

* * *

**Lavender, Rubies, and Gold**

Fred peered over at the girl examining the shelves, and he had to bite back a laugh – _so this was the infamous Lavender Brown._ Sure, he'd seen her before, but after Ginny's ranting and raving about Ron's disgustingly torrid affair with the girl, he found himself watching her with keen amusement. _Ah, poor Ronniekins; he'd never learn._

Fred counted himself quite lucky to have never been tied down to a bird for any substantial amount of time, and after seeing how terrifying the whole situation had been for Ron, he'd be buggered before he let it happen to him. Fred couldn't – _he wouldn't – _let his freedom as a bachelor be cut short in such a restrictive manner. _He was a mountain for Godric's sake!_ He stood alone – unyielding to the elements! He didn't need some bird telling him how he should spend his time.

Fred noticed Lavender approach the love potions, and he had to roll his eyes. _Ron should've known better!_ Shaking his head with dumbfounded resignation, Fred took it upon himself to discover just what made his younger brother's ex-girlfriend tick.

* * *

Lavender traipsed hopelessly down the aisles. It had been nearly two months since her break-up with Ron, but she was still feeling rather gutted about the whole incident. She knew she was over Ron romantically, but even the most elaborate joke shop in Britain couldn't seem to turn her thoughts away from the faint-but-present sting of betrayal that still lingered beneath the surface.

She had just reached an array of love potions when she felt one of the shop owners' eyes bearing down on her.

_Ignore him. It's just one of Ron's ridiculous brothers._ With a glance, she noticed the Weasley twin had vanished, and she let out a relieved sigh.

"Hoping to win my brother back?" A low, throaty whisper suddenly echoed into her ears from behind, and she jumped with a squeak as she reeled around to face him.

"How dare you sneak up on me, you – you insolent rogue!" she huffed indignantly.

"_Insolent rogue_?" Fred's eyes positively glittered with mirth. "You, my dear, are the damsel perusing love potions."

Lavender faltered, "I wasn't – I didn't mean… Oh, forget it. I'm through with Weasleys!"

The Weasley twin chuckled. "You know, for a witch who wants nothing to do with a Weasley you certainly picked a fine place to shop."

Lavender reddened with rage. "Merlin forbid I try to make a man see reason. Good day, Fred Weasley!"

She was nearly to the exit when Fred called out after her. "Wait! How did you know I was Fred?"

With a sniff she turned to glare at the twin. "If you _must know_, George has a rather unsightly mole on his neck that I can't stand the sight of."

To her surprise a huge grin broke on Fred's face. "I always knew I was the better looking twin. Well then, Miss Brown, I'd better prepare a few well-placed engorgement charms on my twin's lovely, little neck to seal the deal, eh?" Lavender bit back a grin as she imagined the horror of George's mole after an engorgement charm, but her thoughts returned to the present as Fred pressed a red, glass bottle firmly into her hand. "As token of my appreciation for your exceptional employee feedback, here's one of those fancy, little love potions, free of charge."

"But I didn't really…" Lavender tried to argue, but at that moment a stunning, blonde witch entered the shop.

"Oh, there you are, George, darling. I've missed you so." The exuberant girl gushed over Fred after taking a moment to first peek at his nametag, which clearly read '_George'_.

Lavender smirked smugly to herself. _She_ had known it was Fred, and she certainly hadn't fawned over him the way that tramp was.

"Vivica, my favorite customer!" Fred garishly pulled her into what looked like an elaborate dance move and kissed her hand.

Lavender's smile instantly faded. For reasons unknown to her and the rest of the universe, she disliked the sight of Fred with such a shallow girl. A tiny voice in her head reasoned that perhaps she simply didn't want to see Fred with _anyone_ else at all – but that was preposterous. _Weasleys, _she scoffed to herself. _Honestly_. She stalked away from the joke shop as quickly as she could manage, not catching Fred's bewildered stare as she left.

* * *

One week later Lavender passed hurriedly down Diagon Alley on her way to the Leaky Cauldron. She'd made a point to avoid the joke shop during her errands, fearful that she might see the man who had managed to occupy her thoughts for the past several days, and now that she had safely passed the shops she was quite anxious to get home. She'd just made it to the familiar alley of bricks when _his_ voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Fancy running into you, Miss Brown," Fred grinned cheekily. "I take it you've put that love potion to good use? It's hard to resist the allure of obsession."

"I have better things to do than waste my time on love potions," she asserted rather brusquely.

"Oh, right, of course," Fred mocked, clearly wanting to engage in further banter. "Who needs a love potion when you've got a fancy necklace with the emblazoned word, '_sweetheart'_." He laughed heartily, causing Lavender to scowl.

"Everything I ever did for Ron was because I thought it was what he wanted," she glared angrily.

"Well, that right there is where it all went wrong, sweetheart." He straightened, raising an eyebrow. "A man wants to _be his own man_. He wants to be king of the jungle! A woman can't waste time acclimating herself to the wizard she's dating – I can't even imagine how exhausting it would be. Just be yourself, Lavender Brown, and someday you just might find yourself a real man."

Lavender didn't want to admit it, but Fred's little tirade had hit right on the mark. She had tried to change herself for Ron, and it had been an absolute disaster. Then here was Fred, a man she hardly knew, speaking truth like poetry to her very soul.

At that moment the sun peaked brightly into the alley, causing Fred's hair to shimmer with frenzied fire. It was like rubies and gold intertwined, and she found herself reaching out toward his tousled locks.

Fred's eyes widened with surprise at her touch, and he seemed to waver with indecision. There was a spark between them when she touched his skin; Lavender was sure of it. _Could Fred have felt it too?_

He was leaning ever closer to her lips when in a sudden, abrupt motion he seemed to change his mind and shot backward.

"You – you must've _– The love potion_ – how did you give it to me?"

Lavender's heart crumpled with anguish. "Fred Weasley, of all the insufferable wizards I've ever known _you are the worst!"_ Wrenching the still-sealed bottle of love potion from her bag, she thrust it into Fred's startled grasp and ran from the alley as fast as her legs could carry. _Oh, how could she have been so naïve,_ Lavender lamented bitterly to herself. It seemed for a moment that Fred might have liked her, but – _oh, why did she even bother getting mixed up with another Weasley? _She took the nearest available floo hastily back home before retreating to her room to cry, but, try as she might, Lavender simply couldn't get Fred out of her head.

After several minutes of fruitless tears Lavender managed to dry her eyes. _Why did Fred have such an effect on her?_ Perhaps her travail was simply due to the fact that Fred was Ron's brother, an echo of her former lover.

_No._ The thought alone put a bitter taste in Lavender's mouth. Fred was nothing like Ron at all. Where Ron had been fraught with insecurities, Fred was self-assured and full of life. Lavender felt no sense of recurring emotions and at least was satisfied that the attraction wasn't a mere matter of fraternal similarities.

Unfortunately, it seemed Fred didn't share that attraction. He'd even gone so far as to blame it on a love potion. Lavender knew her tears were far spent, but the raw misery of Fred's rejection remained, and that night she slept restlessly.

* * *

Fred tossed and turned in his bed that night, unable to sleep. _Bloody Lavender Brown_. He couldn't believe he'd almost kissed her! It had hardly been two months since she'd dated Ron, and Fred found himself falling into the very same trap. He couldn't let himself get lured in by the wiles of a woman – _he was the ocean, not the fish!_

Fred sat up in bed, running his hands through his hair with a groan. Lavender had done something to him – and he wasn't going to let either of them rest until he figured out exactly where it had gone so terribly wrong.

The next morning he woke early, filled with resolve to discover by what means the pretty witch had invaded the scope of his thoughts. After a few calls he discovered that she lived in London, quite close to Diagon Alley, so he threw caution to the wind and decided to pay the lovely Lavender a visit.

* * *

Lavender had just finished sending an owl to Parvati Patil, elaborating the entire _Fred ordeal _in full_,_ when she heard a light tap at the front door. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously she crept toward the entryway, wand in hand.

"Who's there?" she demanded.

"'Tis I, Fred Weasley, the most handsome of the Weasley twins and quite possibly the Weasley family – only don't tell Ginny; she might throw a fit."

His muffled sarcasm brought an unwitting grin to her lips that she couldn't fully suppress. Swinging the door open, her eyes flashed wildly.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here, Fred Weasley."

He simply grinned and swaggered inside.

"My lady, I'm simply here to investigate the cause of our apparent magnetism toward one another."

Lavender paused as she processed his words. _Fred was attracted to her! _Part of her wanted to tell him everything at once – that she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him in days, that she'd been dreaming of Fred and his dazzling hair of rubies and gold and sunshine all night, but Lavender steeled herself. She couldn't let herself get caught up in pursuit of _another_ Weasley, even if this one was so very different from the first. No, she had to play it cool.

"Just here for information then? Working on another silly love potion?" she smirked matter-of-factly.

Apparently she had said the wrong thing, because at that very moment his eyebrows furrowed curiously, and he spun her into his arms.

"_My lady_, do you really think your feelings for me are potent enough for mass-marketing?"

Lavender couldn't move. Fred had her tucked in his arms in some elaborate dip, and she could hardly breathe his face was so close.

"N–no—" she finally whispered. "—It couldn't be. I hardly know you."

It was clear Fred didn't quite expect the sincerity of her response, and his eyes unexpectedly flickered toward her lips.

"Let me just ask you one question." He lifted her up from the overly dramatic dance move but kept his arms firmly wrapped around her body. "Between Ron and me—" he cleared his throat melodramatically, "—who would you rather see... _naked?" _He finished with waggle of his eyebrows and a cheeky wink, and Lavender pushed away, gasping in disbelief.

"How can you even ask something like that? It's completely absurd – totally unacceptable, not to mention the societal impropriety."

"It's a valid question—" Fred's voice rang out. "—and it's one I need an answer to right now if I'm going to kiss you."

Lavender froze, immediately blushing a deep shade of pink. "You – you want to _kiss me?"_

Fred said nothing more, overtly crossing his arms and tapping his foot with mock-impatience. After several seconds she realized he was perfectly serious, so she plucked up a bit of Gryffindor courage and heaved a sigh.

"You have to promise not to tell Ronald." Fred still said nothing but nodded ever so slightly. "While we were dating he was always trying to take things to the next level—" The Weasley twin's eyes flashed with curiosity and perhaps a hint of... _jealousy?_ "—but I kept telling him we ought to slow things down, because it was the proper thing to do. Well, the truth is, I just didn't want to see him without his robes on. I mean, he's got a fair bit of muscles since he's joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team, but he's just so pale and – _gangly_."

Fred laughed loudly, daring to take a step closer. "As enlightening as that juicy little bit of information is, my dear, you still have failed to answer my question."

Lavender took a long look at Fred, biting her lip with a breathy sigh. _Hopefully he hadn't seen that._ "I don't see how I could possibly – totally inappropriate – I mean, how could I not – a beater for six years – of course I've imagined..." She was growing more flustered with each second, Fred stepping ever closer. _Oh, sweet Merlin,_ this was different from any moment she'd ever shared with Ron _or any other boy_. She contemplated Fred's question and found herself wanting to rip his clothing from his skin in that very second.

"_Godric, forgive me," _she murmured in a dazed as Fred reached her, "but I've never wanted to see a man naked more than I do at this very moment."

Fred's eyes widened with surprise. "Well, well, well, Lavender Brown, I never would have thought you had it in you to utter such a _scandalous _thing."

Before she could reply Fred grabbed her wrists in one swift motion and let his lips hover so close to Lavender's that she could feel his hot breath sweep across her cheeks and creep down her neck. Her breathing grew more ragged than she'd ever remembered it, _and they weren't even kissing yet_. Lifting her chin ever so slightly she caught his bottom lip with her teeth, bringing it between her lips and tracing the edge with her tongue.

Fred seemed to shed every last bit of reserve in that moment, and Lavender gasped with surprise and pleasure as the kiss deepened. Her hands broke free from his hold, and she roughly clutched at the sides of his robes, pulling his body as close as the space between their fabric would allow. _Sweet Merlin, she never wanted to let go of Fred Weasley again._

* * *

Fred wasn't sure how it had all happened. One moment he was interrogating Ron's ex-girlfriend, and the next he was snogging her senseless. _What had happened?_ Suddenly Lavender Brown was everywhere in his head, filling his every breath with an insatiable sense of hunger for her touch and her taste. Everything seemed to disappear from time and space, yet the two of them remained, exploring the reaches of their bodies, transforming into a new whole.

After an eternity Lavender pulled away to catch her breath, and Fred realized they were still in the sitting room of Lavender's house. It seemed odd to him that they had moved so little but felt so much.

"Wow," Lavender uttered breathlessly. "I've never... experienced _anything_ quite like that before."

"Not to worry—" Fred managed a wink. "—there's loads more where that came from." He took a quick breath, straightening his robes and heading toward the door. "Come to the shop after closing time, and we'll continue this illuminating _discussion,_" he grinned.

"Of course I—" Lavender paused mid-sentence, a peculiar expression forming on her face. "—I'll have to check my schedule. You can't ask a lady out on such short notice, you know."

Fred chuckled at her confident reply. Lavender was finally her own woman, and he liked it that way. After all, he was still his own man, _still the mountain, unshakable in its foundation _– though perhaps he'd make a few exceptions – the next time he saw Lavender Brown.

_The End._

* * *

**Prompts: Mountains by Biffy Clyro, Naked, Chasing Rubies by Hudson Taylor**

**A/N. **So I tried something a little different. The song "Mountains" is outlined throughout Fred's POV, and the song "Chasing Rubies" is outlined throughout Lavender's POV. There was one part however where Lavender takes Fred's lip with her teeth, and I actually thought of Fred's song where it says "thought my teeth would break the mountain down", because Fred (who's referred to as a mountain throughout the whole story) totally gives in after that.

Thanks for reading. I hope you liked! -V


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